Consumers Respond Favorably to Rewards Program, Digital Deals and Experience; Now Google Wallet Added to the Mix
With a strong track record of digital “firsts” that have made ordering easy for customers, Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) has created a digital experience that customers love. Papa John’s announced that digital and mobile channels account for more than 50 percent of its total U.S. sales (delivery and carryout), making it the first in the industry to surpass this milestone.
Additionally, Papa John’s announced that it will now begin accepting Google Wallet Instant Buy as a payment method for delivery and carry-out orders placed through the Android app. Customers simply press the “Buy with Google” button at checkout to complete their order.
“Technology has made it easier for customers to order and we’ve seen this have a significant impact on consumer engagement. Less time answering phones empowers employees to focus on the quality of the pizza and making customers happy,” said John Schnatter, founder and chief executive officer of Papa John’s. “We’ve been taking orders digitally for almost 15 years, perfecting the ordering process.”
These announcements solidify the Louisville-based pizza giant as the digital mix leader in the national QSR pizza space. Papa John’s was the first national pizza company with digital ordering at all of its U.S. delivery restaurants in 2001. It was also the first national pizza company to offer system wide mobile ordering with SMS text in 2007, the first to launch a nationwide digital rewards program in 2010, Papa Rewards, which remains the only program of its kind in the category, and the first to offer gift cards that can be used on mobile devices.
Papa John’s is committed to making it easy and convenient for customers to pay for their Papa John’s pizza. With Google Wallet Instant Buy, users will now be able to speed through checkout in just a few clicks within Papa John’s Android app using the “Buy with Google” button.
Research shows that Papa Rewards has been a customer favorite for years. Bond Brand Loyalty (formerly Maritz Loyalty Marketing), one of the recognized leaders in loyalty marketing, conducts an annual loyalty survey of 6,000 consumers. Papa Rewards took the top spot in the dining/QSR category in the 2014 survey as a favorite loyalty program, beating out major food service providers including Starbucks and Denny’s.
“We’re focused on giving our customers what they want, and that includes a superior pizza for a fair price, attractive digital deals and a great customer experience,” said Bob Kraut, Papa John’s chief marketing officer.
“We are constantly being pushed by our visionary founder to track and respond to customer ordering habits, and reaching this 50 percent milestone and accepting Google Wallet Instant Buy is another way that we are giving customers what they want.”
Papa John’s credits these technology advancements with helping it earn the top spot in the 2014 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) earlier this year, when it achieved the highest rating for an unprecedented 13th time in the past 15 years. In addition to the top overall ACSI rating, Papa John’s earned the highest score regarding overall quality, product quality, service quality and customer expectations in the individual ACSI ratings.
While Papa John’s has embraced digital ordering as the future of its business, it will never lose sight of its priority goal—to always make a better pizza. With strategic eCommerce tools in place, Papa John’s is making it easy for customers to order a great pizza. A report from The Search Agency, “The Mobile Experience Scorecard – Restaurants & Catering,” recently awarded Papa John’s the highest score among leading restaurants for its fast-loading mobile web experience, a critical factor in the customer experience.
